Spec-First + Superpowers Orchestrator v3

Stop the AI from jumping straight to code. Every feature, bugfix, and refactor goes through a specification phase first — because unexamined code is expensive code.

Commands

Command	Effect
/super-spec	Full workflow (auto mode + auto complexity)
/super-spec force-spec-kit	Force Spec-Kit mode
/super-spec force-openspec	Force OpenSpec mode
/super-spec reset	Reset mode selection

How It Works

Step 1: Pick a Mode

Check for existing signals, then fall back to heuristics:

Signal	Mode
.spec-mode file exists	Use whatever it says
.specify/ directory	Spec-Kit
.openspec/ directory	OpenSpec
Brand new project, < 30 files	Spec-Kit
Everything else	OpenSpec (default)

Save the choice to .spec-mode so future sessions remember it.

For detailed mode workflows, read:

• Spec-Kit: references/spec-kit-workflow.md
• OpenSpec: references/openspec-workflow.md

Step 2: Triage Complexity

The AI suggests a level; the user confirms or overrides.

Level	When	What happens
Quick	Single-file bugfix, typo, config	Simplified spec (/opsx:ff) → TDD → archive
Standard	Single feature, clear scope	All phases (Phase 3 only if UI)
Thorough	Multi-module, architecture decisions	All phases + Agent Teams evaluation

Step 3: Execute the Pipeline

Phase 0 — Session Recovery (automatic) If task_plan.md exists from a previous session, read all planning files, run the 5-Question Reboot Test (Where am I? / Where am I going? / What's the goal? / What did I learn? / What did I do?), then resume from the last checkpoint.

Phase 1 — Specification Write the spec using the selected mode. Quick tasks use fast-forward; standard/thorough use the full flow. The user must explicitly confirm the spec before moving on. Gate G1: User confirmed + spec aligns with constitution.

Phase 2 — Persistent Planning Generate task_plan.md (numbered checklist with test points), findings.md, and progress.md using planning-with-files + writing-plans. Gate G2: Every task has file paths + acceptance criteria + test strategy.

Phase 3 — UI/UX Design (conditional) Triggered only when UI keywords are detected. Invoke ui-ux-pro-max --design-system --persist to generate and persist the design system. Gate G3: Pre-delivery checklist passed + user confirmed design.

Phase 4 — Implementation Execute via one of two strategies (AI recommends, user picks):

• Subagent-Driven: Fresh subagent per task + two-stage review (spec conformance → code quality)
• Executing-Plans: Batch execution + checkpoint reviews

TDD throughout. Errors escalate through the 3-Strike protocol → systematic-debugging. Gate G4: All tests pass + review passed + verification evidence written to progress.md.

Phase 5 — Archive finishing-a-development-branch → update all checkboxes → archive spec artifacts → final progress.md entry.

Quality Gates

Each gate is a hard stop — nothing moves forward until all checks pass. If a gate fails, fix the issue and re-evaluate. Full gate criteria: references/quality-gates.md

Anti-Rush Protection

If the user asks to skip the spec phase, politely decline and redirect to /super-spec. The whole point of this skill is preventing premature implementation.

Reference Files

Read these as needed — they contain detailed procedures that would bloat this file:

File	When to read
references/quality-gates.md	Evaluating any gate (G0-G4)
references/synergy-patterns.md	Understanding cross-tool integration
references/integration-guide.md	Setup, troubleshooting, dependency list
references/spec-kit-workflow.md	Running the Spec-Kit flow
references/openspec-workflow.md	Running the OpenSpec flow
assets/constitutions/openspec-constitution.md	OpenSpec constitution template
assets/constitutions/spec-kit-constitution.md	Spec-Kit constitution template